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I'm not sure if SFM gave a reason. Our fire protection engineer passed the message to us and didn't give a reason. Our FPE also agreed with the SFM. I asked our FPE for a reason and asked the same questions I asked here, but have not gotten a response from the FPE.

1) What is the proper way to determine whether a dry-pipe or wet-pipe system should be used? I have looked at design winter dry bulb temperatures, and it seems that most cities in California have a winter dry bulb temperature at or below 32°F and record low temperatures even lower. Winter...

cdafd: heater in the attic space where people don't normally go up there? These are small buildings, and they are treated almost like a residential. With the ventilation in the attic, the heater might run all winter.

Thanks skdesigner for the helpful description: A dry sprinkler is a sealed unit. So if that unit pops, you just have to replace the heating element or replace the whole unit? I have to google to see if I can find a picture of that tee you mentioned. Sounds like the tee is to drain any water...

Thanks skdesigner. I don't have 2010 NFPA yet. It looks like you are referring to Figure A.8.14.7 in NFPA 13-2002, which is what I'm using for this project. For the attics, It looks like the dry barrel will have extend 5-6 feet above ceiling insulation. Do you have the title of that section...

In areas that don't really freeze (2-3 days out of the year where temperature might drop to 25 deg F), is it possible to use some dry sprinkler heads in a wet-pipe sprinkler system, such as in attic (insulation at ceiling) or under overhangs? Thanks.

Does anyone know what a typical vapor pressure at the outlet of a 500-1000 gallon propane storage tank is....after it has been regulated down? I assume that the propane tank has a pressure regulator on it. I have a 1000-gallon propane tank on site that will feed 3 buildings. Each building...

Travis - The Density/Area Curves in NFPA 13 that determine the flow for different Classification of Occupancies. Let's say my 6000 sf building falls under Ordinary Hazard (Group 1). So the minimum fire flow for this building would be 1500 sf * 0.15 gpm/sf = 225 gpm. Assume that it will be a...

Thanks DLiteE. Anyone know if paints and coatings for outdoor use has any VOC level requirements? I have seen 250 g/L for interior ferrous metal substrates.

Hi, I'm looking for the type of prime coat and top coat for painting an above ground exterior black steel used for natural gas or propane. I have used alkyd anticorrosive metal primer and alkyd enamel before, but was told that I cannot use alkyd anymore because the product is not low VOC...

Hi, Anyone familiar with or have used the Hi-Fog fire sprinkler system by Marioff? I'm not sure if the system is UL listed or approved by the State Fire Marshal. Wanted to see the advantages/disadvantages of the system.

ChrisConley - I have always asked my civil guys to give me separate lines for domestic water and fire water. They usually give me enough pressure for domestic water as the flow is low (~25 gpm).

Thank you for all these very informative responses. We do have a set of NFPA in the office. We don't have a fire protection engineer here, and that's why we have been doing the deferred approvals and leave it to the contractor to get the right people to design the sprinkler system. For my...

wow... I didn't realize that those variables you mentioned would affect pressure calculations. How is the building construction type (wood vs metal) affect calculations? Does one require more sprinkler heads, thus needing more fittings? I honestly have not looked at this section of NFPA as we...

Hi, What is a typical pressure loss through a fire sprinkler system for a single story office building (4000 sf) with about 200 feet of piping? We have been doing a deferred approval so that a sprinkler contractor will design the system and get approvals, so I do not know how much loss through...

"Heat tape works for very small runs line passing through an unheated space but not intended to heat entire system." Really? Going through Tyco (Raychem), it seems that it would be ok as long as your circuit breaker and transformer is sized for it. How do you guys deal with piping (domestic...

pnp - I see what you are saying now. My civil engineer also said that the 20 psig is from city water POC to BFP, which I do have. What a relief. Well thank you ALL for your help. On another topic, just found out yesterday that heat tape will be allowed under NFPA 2010 edition. Guess I can...

pnp - Thanks for point that out. I just asked our civil guys for the test reports, and it indicates that the agency's standard specifications prohibit water pressure below 20 psi at any location in the system. So what does one do when we don't have the required minimum 20 psig? Install a...

Arsnman - Isn't the backflow preventer already doing that?

Nooooo.... I did not know this. My civil guys did not let me know about this requirement by AWWA. The residual pressure at the POC is 57 psig @ 1500 gpm. Going through the suction piping and backflow preventer, I'm left with 1.7 psig at the fire pump.... barely meeting NFPA requirements. Is...